EU opens antitrust investigation into Google's AI practices

""The Commission will investigate to what extent the generation of AI Overviews and AI Mode by Google is based on web publishers' content without appropriate compensation for that, and without the possibility for publishers to refuse without losing access to Google Search," the EU executive body stated in its announcement. "Indeed, many publishers depend on Google Search for user traffic, and they do not want to risk losing access to it.""

"The second prong of the Commission's investigation similarly looks into Google's potential misuse surrounding AI. It's digging into whether Google has used content uploaded to YouTube for training its generative AI models. As in the first case, the Commission "is concerned" that YouTube creators are not receiving proper compensation or the option to opt out of Google using their content."

The European Commission opened an antitrust investigation into whether Google used web publishers' content for its AI Overview and AI Mode without appropriate compensation or the option to refuse. The probe will assess whether AI Overviews and AI Mode rely on publisher material without payment and whether loss of Google Search access effectively prevents publishers from refusing. The investigation also examines whether Google used YouTube uploads to train its generative AI models and whether creators receive compensation or can opt out. The Commission noted that creators currently must allow Google to use uploaded data to place media on YouTube, and competitors cannot access YouTube content to train their models.

Read at Engadget